Keeping Babies and Young Children Safe in Hot Weather

Babies and young children are one of the groups the NHS names as most at risk in hot weather, alongside older people and pregnant women, because their bodies are less able to regulate temperature than an adult's¹. The practical consequences are simple: keep babies under six months out of direct sun altogether, never cover a pram with a blanket or muslin, keep your baby's room between 16C and 20C, and offer fluids little and often². Most of what you need to do in a heatwave is small and everyday, but each step matters, because overheating in a baby can raise the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)⁵.

The health problems hot weather can cause in babies and young children are dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and sunburn⁶. Children aged five and under are specifically listed among the people at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell when temperatures rise⁷. This page sets out the official advice for each of those risks in turn: sun, prams, fluids, clothing, sleep and room temperature, and where to get help when you are not sure.

Why babies and young children feel the heat more than adults

Older people, babies and young children are more likely to become unwell in hot weather because their bodies are less able to regulate temperature¹². Public Health Wales makes the same point from the other direction: those who may find it hard to keep cool include babies and young children¹³. For babies there is an added layer of risk, because a baby can overheat from things entirely within your control: too much bedding or clothing, or a room that is too hot⁵. Overheating can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)⁵.

The UK government's guidance for people looking after children in hot weather, which applies to England, lists babies and young children aged five years and under among the groups at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell⁷. NHS heatwave guidance says the same¹⁴. The risks to manage are the four the NHS names: dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and sunburn⁶. You can read more about the first two in our pages on heat exhaustion and heatstroke and dehydration in hot weather, and about the wider groups at risk in who is most at risk in hot weather.

A baby's normal temperature is also worth knowing. The average temperature in babies and children is about 36.4C, though this varies from child to child¹⁵. A raised temperature in a child can have causes other than illness: it can be raised after vaccinations, or if they overheat because of too much bedding or clothing¹⁶. So before assuming a fever, check whether the room is too hot or your baby is wearing too many layers.

Keep newborn babies out of the sun

The advice here is consistent across every official source: babies less than six months old should be kept out of direct sunlight⁸. NHS guidance in Scotland puts it plainly: babies under six months should not be out in direct sun at all¹⁷. The reason is that a newborn baby's skin contains too little melanin to give any protection from the sun¹⁰. Older babies should also be kept out of the sun as much as possible, particularly in summer and between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest⁴.

That 11am to 3pm window comes up again and again in official advice, and it applies to children as well as babies: avoid being out in the sun between 11am and 3pm, the hottest part of the day¹⁸. The Met Office adds the same timing for everyone, advising people to seek shade and avoid long stretches in the sun between 11am and 3pm, and to wear lightweight, light-coloured clothing, high factor sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat¹⁹.

For clothing, the NHS says do not dress your baby in too many layers; choose lightweight clothing². For older children, put them in a T-shirt or UV protective suit where possible and keep their shoulders covered⁸. If you do go out when it is hot, attach a parasol or sunshade to your baby's pushchair to keep them out of direct sunlight⁶.

Prams and buggies: a clip-on shade, never a blanket or muslin

This is the single most important piece of pram advice, and it goes against what many people instinctively do. NHS guidance is unambiguous:

The NHS in Scotland says the same: do not put a blanket, any type of cover or plastic over a pram to give it shade, as it can get very hot and could make your baby overheat¹⁷. NHS guidance on baby safety puts it more briefly still: do not cover your baby's pushchair or pram with a blanket because it could lead to overheating². Covering a pram traps heat in a small space with no airflow, and a baby lying in it cannot move away or cool itself.

What to do instead:

• Attach a clip-on sunshade or parasol to the pram or buggy¹⁸
• Keep the pram in the shade wherever possible²⁰
• Make sure there is adequate air flow around your baby²¹
• Remove any excess clothing²¹
• Check regularly that your baby is not overheating, by feeling their chest or the back of their neck¹⁸

One point where official sources differ: the Greater London Authority advises that a dry cloth draped over a pram can increase the carriage temperature by several degrees and should be avoided, but says you can keep a pram cool by draping a wet cloth over it, re-wetting the cloth every 20 minutes²². Other NHS sources advise against any cloth cover. The safest course, and the one most NHS guidance supports, is a clip-on shade with nothing draped over the pram at all.

Room temperature for a baby: 16C to 20C

Babies sleep most comfortably when their room is between 16C and 20C³. That range is repeated across the UK's official sources: Public Health Wales says babies should sleep in rooms heated to between 16C and 20C²³, the nidirect service in Northern Ireland says a baby's room should be 16 to 20C²⁴, and NHS guidance in Wales links the range to reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)²⁵. A government report on home temperature thresholds records the same advice, that rooms in which infants sleep should be heated to between 16 and 20C²⁶.

In practice, in a heatwave the problem is not heating a room but cooling it. The steps that help:

• Keep the room out of direct sun during the day; shade windows on the sunny side
• Ensure adequate ventilation²⁷
• Do not dress your baby in too many layers; choose lightweight clothing²
• Use a room thermometer so you know the actual temperature rather than guessing¹⁰

Our page on what temperature a baby's room should be goes into this in more detail, and how to sleep and cool a bedroom on hot nights covers the whole household. If you are using fans or other cooling equipment, see our guides on electric fans and how to keep your home cool in hot weather.

Remember that overheating can come from bedding as much as from the room itself: babies can overheat because of too much bedding or clothing, or because the room is too hot⁵. Check your baby's chest or the back of their neck rather than their hands or feet to judge whether they are too warm¹⁸.

Feeding and fluids: what to offer in the heat

Breastfed babies

Your breastfed baby may wish to feed more regularly when the weather is very hot. This is very normal, because breastmilk is both water and food¹⁰. Fully breastfed babies do not need any water until they have started eating solid foods³. The extra feeds are doing the work of both food and drink, so there is nothing to add.

Bottle-fed babies

If you are bottle feeding, as well as their usual milk feeds you can give your baby a little cooled boiled water³. NHS guidance for newborns in extreme temperatures makes the limit clear: you can offer your bottle-fed baby a small amount of cool boiled water, and a few sips of water does not replace a milk feed¹⁰. Somerset Council's heat-health advice adds the reason: babies under six months do not need water, as it may dilute the nutrients in their feeds, but if your baby has formula you can offer sips of cooled boiled water in addition to their usual feeds²⁸.

Babies over six months and older children

Babies over six months can also be offered sips of cool water with meals²⁸. Once solid foods are introduced, offer sips of water from a cup or beaker with meals; breastmilk or infant formula should be their main drinks during the first year, and in hot weather you may need to offer additional water outside of mealtimes³. From 12 months, water, breast milk or whole cows' milk should be your baby's main drinks; in hot weather you can try frozen lollies made from plain water or very diluted fruit juice, with diluted juice lollies only at mealtimes because they can cause tooth decay³.

For older children, give them water, watered-down fruit juice and the occasional ice lolly rather than lots of sugary, fizzy drinks¹¹. Oxfordshire County Council's heatwave advice is to keep your child drinking little and often, with water and diluted squash or lower-fat milks as good choices²⁹. The government's guidance for those looking after children adds that you should provide and encourage children to drink plenty of water and encourage them to drink more than usual in hot weather⁷. Ice lollies can help keep water levels topped up²⁹.

One further point if you ever need to make up formula with bottled water, for example during a water supply problem: bottled water should be boiled, covered and left to cool for up to half an hour, then the feed made up following the manufacturer's instructions and used immediately¹³. Our page on is my child drinking enough? covers the signs that a child is not.

Sun protection for young children

For babies of six months and over, apply a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to their skin². Make sure the product also protects against both UVA and UVB rays⁴. Use plenty of sunscreen and apply it regularly, every 2 hours, and reapply it immediately after swimming or sweating². Cover exposed skin even on cloudy or overcast days; most sunscreen designed for children has an SPF of between 30 and 50 and is effective against UVA and UVB³⁰.

Clothing matters as much as cream. Make sure your child wears loose-fitting clothing, sunglasses and a sunhat with a wide brim or a long flap at the back to protect their head, ears and neck from the sun². Put children in a T-shirt or UV protective suit where possible and keep their shoulders covered⁸. For older children, make sure they have high-factor sun cream regularly applied during the day, including the tops of the ears and the back of the neck, alongside a T-shirt, sun hat and time in the shade¹¹.

Our page on sun safety for the family covers sunscreen, SPF and UV in more detail, and how to treat sunburn, including in children explains what to do if protection slips.

Cars, closed spaces and other dangers in the heat

Small closed spaces such as stationary cars can get dangerously hot very quickly, so make sure that babies, children, older people and pets are not left alone in them²¹. NHS guidance for Norfolk and Suffolk is specific about the timescale: do not leave babies and young children in the car in hot weather, because even 20 minutes in a hot car can lead to heat stroke¹¹. The Welsh Ambulance Service adds that children under two are particularly at risk of heatstroke or heat exhaustion in a parked car³¹.

The same principle applies to any small, closed space that can heat up, not just cars³². If you are also caring for older relatives, check on those who are vulnerable to the effects of heat, especially the elderly, young children and babies, and those with a heart or respiratory condition such as asthma³¹. Our page on how to check on older and vulnerable neighbours in the heat covers that in more detail.

Beyond sun and heat, hot weather brings other risks to small children that official advice flags. Give your child frequent water breaks, spray them down with a spray bottle, and take cool baths and showers in extreme heat⁸. If you are using open water or paddling pools to cool off, see our guides on swimming safely outdoors and blue-green algae risks.

Where to get advice: ChatHealth and other help

If you want to talk something through with a professional rather than search online, there is a dedicated text service. Parents and carers of children aged 0 to 5 can text ChatHealth on 07480 635514 for personalised advice from a health visitor²⁸. Both ChatHealth services are confidential text services available to parents and carers²⁸. That means you can ask a question you might feel awkward asking face to face, and the answer comes directly from a health visitor rather than a search engine.

For anything that seems urgent, use the normal routes: NHS 111 for urgent but non-emergency concerns, and 999 if your baby or child appears seriously unwell. Our page on when to call 999 or NHS 111 for heat illness explains the signs that should trigger each call.

You can also prepare before the hot weather arrives. The UK government's hot weather preparation checklist and our own baby and child hot weather checklist set out what to sort out in advance, and how to sign up for heat-health alerts explains how to get warnings before a heatwave rather than during one. The wider subject is covered in our guide to heatwaves and drought.